THE SOUTHERN ALPS.

Waikato Times, Volume 108, Issue 18164, 31 October 1930, Page 10

THE SOUTHERN ALPS.

NEW PASS DISCOVERED. AT LOW ALTITUDE. ‘a AMATEURS’ PIONEERING WORK. A new pass, of low altitude, crossing the Southern Alps, was recently discovered by members of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club. In the following article, a member of the exploration party tells in the Christchurch Star how the discovery was made. The preliminary reports concerning the discovery of a new pass, within the Arthur’s Pass National Park, may have given the impression that it was a chance finding, or was based on ignorance of the locality. On the contrary, it was the most recent result of an organised programme of amateur exploration being carried out, mainly in this region, by members of the Canterbury Mountaineering Club. It might be thought unlikely that in the year 1930 any portion of a district so closely related to the main West Coast railway and road should remain incompletely explored, but that such is the case is abundantly proved by the results of this and previous exploration trips. The late G. N. Carrington, during his first trip to the Upper Waimakariri region in December, 1924, was encouraged to initiate a thorough survey of this beautiful region on meeting with Dr. Hilgendorf and party, who for several seasons had been doing useful mapping and survey work in what was a

Virtually Unmapped District. Largely owing to his efforts and those of his successors, the magnificent Alpine playground at the head of the Waimakariri River is now excellently mapped and all its prominent features are named, while all communicating passes with the Wilberforce and Paipo Rivers have been traversed. (There only remains now' some few major peaks to he conquered and the head of the Avoca River to be more accurately explored.) The club have found less need of pioneering in the immediate vicinity of Arthur’s Pass, but have not neglected to traverse the Divide from the col at the head of the Waimak, across Rolleston to Arthur’s Pass—and also "from thence traverse the Blimit range. During the last year they have turned their attention to the eastern fastnesses of the park. It will be remembered that explorations for the purpose of determining passes between Canterbury and the West Coast, via the valleys of the llurunui, Waimakariri and Rakaia Rivers, were conducted from 1857 to 1865, by various fine pioneers, among whom the names of the late George and Edward Dobson are prominent. Now, in April, 1865, Edward Dobson stated that “there is now not a single pass out of the Waimakariri, to the north and w T est, which has not been examined by either one or both of us,” and this has been taken for granted till the present day. Eut there w'as

Always a Certain Vagueness

about the description of Goat Pass — between the Mingha River and Deception Creek, which I-laast (1866) slates' was named by George Dobson, and “although scarcely higher than Arthur’s Pass, is far more difll'cult.” This did not seem to tally with Edward Dobson’s description, thus:—“Of the tw r o passes at the head of the Bealey, namely, Arthur’s' Pass and the Goat Pass, the latter may be dismissed from consideration on account of the elevation at which the range has to be crossed, although in other respects it is w'ell suited for a stock-driving road . . .” and of his plans wherein, of all the passes, Goat Pass is the only one whose height is not given, even approximately. Accordingly, armed with these doubts, ■ strengthened by information from various sources about the presence of a most inaccessible gorge in the rather “delightfully open” (on the map) Mingha Valley, sorpe members of the Mountaineering Club essayed to ascend this river from its junction with the Bealey, in December, 1929. The results of this small expedition may be summarised thus: — 1. The present mapped course of the Mingha is inaccurate, and is being altered. 2. There is a magnificent but impassable lower gorge about five miles long. 3. The only access is by discontinuous deer tracks, through heavy bush along the river bank, to above the lower gorge. 4. Goat Pass itself is of easy immediate access and about 3600 feet high only. 5. There are at least three virgin peaks, of which the highest (8000 ft) is probably the Mount Franklin of the maps, to the east of this pass—while Mount Temple undoubtedly forms its western slopes. En route, it was noticed that some difficulty was experienced in fording a stream that entered the Minglia from the east through a gorge, about half a mile above the Bealey junction, as this —shown on t'he maps as entering right at the junction as a thin thread called the Edwards Stream —carried more water than the Mingha. Curiosity was aroused thereby, and was enhanced by later views of this region obtained from peaks around Arthur’s Pass, the Craigieburn and the Upper Hawdon Valley; and finally

Intense Interest was Aroused

by the result of a recent splendid first ascent of the gaunt peak of Mount Williams, at the junction of the Mingha and Edwards, by two club members. For this revealed the existence of a long valley over the range from the Mingh-a, with the possibility of a pass over the Divide at the bead of it, though the massifs of Oates and Franklin hid this from view. This partly agreed with the reports of some few deer-stalkers who affirmed tlhe Edwards to be larger -and longer than mapped, but who had never mentioned any pass into Westland. Accordingly, under the aegis of the Lands and Survey Department, the club hurriedly organised an expedition to the headwaters of this mysterious Edwards stream—with the results which are now well known. But their work is toy no means done, for further more extended expeditions and climbs are needed to determine the exact relationship of the Edwards to its next neighbour, the Hawdon River, and of this latter to the mighty Poulter River. In conclusion, it may he remarked that this neglected Edwards “stream” —which from its size and fifteen-mile length surely deserves the title of a river—furnishes some of the Wildest and Grandest Scenery obtainable on this side of the Southern

Alps, having no rival till one passes southwards into the valleys around Lakes Wanaka and Wakatipu. Unfortunately (or not), the difficulty of access will render its beauties unseen for the majority of visitors to this now extraordinarily popular National Park, hut its pretty lower gorge could fairly easily he reached from Arthur's Pass —or belter, dry-footed, if excursionists were dropped from the train on the/ east side of the Healey bridge and were not averse to negotiating a mile or two of stony riverbed. The miles of hush-going, also, will prevent the wonderful ski-ing ground at the head from being churned up.